


In This, Our Silver Starlight

by Ignightroad



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Future, Aya is my Keykid, Blood and Gore, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/F, Five Stages of Grief, Heavy Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Masters AU, Other, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Riku has Piercings, Sexual Content, Strained Relationships, Suicidal Thoughts, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, behavioral disorder, gratuitious violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-16 22:16:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20610224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ignightroad/pseuds/Ignightroad
Summary: Set around ten years after the events of KH3, the Keyblade wielders are struggling to find their happy ever afters.  Newly-wed Riku and Roxas do their jobs diligently and live in a tiny house by the beach, keeping the peace between worlds and their friends.However, when Riku goes missing and shows up years later a different man, Roxas struggles between coping with the man he thought he lost and the man he, himself, has become.  Picking up the pieces is rough, but it's even harder when your husband hasn't spoken a word in months and the puzzle remains unfinished.  Between emotional and physical healing, Roxas is afraid the worst is far from over.





	In This, Our Silver Starlight

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all.
> 
> So, I haven't written a proper fic in ages, and this is mostly word vomit, but I wanted to get this out eventually. Masters AU is something I've been brewing up for around six years, and with KH3 dropping, I had to change a lot of info to keep it 'somewhat canon' compliant, as much as I could, anyways.
> 
> Side note: Aya is my Keykid, she doesn't really have much importance but I needed something there.
> 
> Side note 2: Characters Are aged up and in their late 20's. There may be small smut scenes/implied smut. Y'all got warned.
> 
> Side note 3: You can find me and my Masters AU art on Twitter and Tumblr if interested under @Ignightroad.
> 
> Side note 4: There will be realistic depictions of panic attacks/PTSD events and triggers, and things like suicidal discussion and talk. This fic will probably NOT have a happy ending you're expecting. It's gonna be pretty gritty for a long time. However, it's still changing all the time and I WOULD like it to end happily. But, we'll see. We'll see....

“It still surprises me.”

The early morning sunlight filtered through the screen door, bathing the kitchen table in a soft hue. It glinted across the papers and journals in Riku's hand, shining off the metal spoon still in Roxas' coffee. Taking the pen from his teeth, Riku looked up at Roxas and followed his gaze, towards Roxas' own ring finger where a simple metal band shone. Catching Roxas' glance, he heard him laughing softly, twisting the metal around his finger and giving a lopsided grin.

“Was marrying me such a bad idea?” Riku asked, flipping a page and returning to his work. Roxas snorted and shook his head, propping it up on his hand as he chomped into his morning toast.

“Every day I live in regret,” he replied, getting a snort in turn from his husband who turned his own attention to his coffee. A morning ritual they loved. Waking together and disentangling their limbs, a shared shower, then breakfast with coffee, the screen door filtering in a warm breeze and the smell of the ocean down below from their beach house. From the scent of the sea-spray mingling with the percolated coffee and melted butter, it brought comfort as the sun rose. A comfortable sort of routine they fell into months ago--or had it been years, now?

Roxas watched as Riku began work on his coffee, two spoonfuls of sugar, stirring it roughly six times clockwise, working to add in a little cream, some vanilla syrup, and a pinch of cinnamon. Roxas watched, awaiting, as Riku grabbed another small sift of sugar into his drink before sipping it. His smile widened. He didn't even think Riku knew of his little, well, Riku-isms.

“Biscuit?”

“Biscuit,” Riku agreed, moving to butter and jelly his own for breakfast, still glancing down at the paperwork. Roxas finished his own toast and looked down at his phone, checked his recent messages and responded to a few texts before sighing in comfort. Outside, the sky was pleasant and warm, fluffy white clouds and a comfortable breeze. A perfect day, one they'd ruin with meetings, crammed inside a stuffy Gummiship, and presumable cleaning duties.

Or, Roxas, hoped, one they could spend sparring and training, or on a brand new world to keep the peace. It all fell to fate. The King was generally very consistent with his duties and giving everyone their fair share of work so as not to make one person work too much. That didn't make it any less insufferable, though.

As a newly appointed Master, Roxas hadn't quite expected how full his plates would be but having Riku by his side made it tolerable, and the King was kind enough to allow them to adventure together. They had only their mornings to themselves most of the time, so having some time to travel together helped fill the void, despite having their hands full more often than not. Small victories, at the very least. Still...

Looking up for a brief moment to watch Riku take another bite of his breakfast and watching his eyes scan over their morning briefing was still charming, no matter how many months or years he'd seen it. The way the light illuminated his salt-and-pepper eyelashes, made his pale green eyes practically _glow_ with radiance. How did he ever get so lucky?

“Anything good today?” Roxas asked, dragging himself from his thoughts before wandering eyes became wandering hands. Riku made a nonplussed sound, swallowed his bite, and shook his head.

“Not really. You...” he flipped through some pages to find Roxas' schedule and tapped at the paper. “Have a sparring session with Xion and Lea, and then you have study hall after lunch, and then...” More papers shuffling, eyes roving the words. “Briefing with Yen Sid.”

“Ugh.” Roxas leaned back heavily in his chair. At least if Yen Sid drawled out the window, Roxas could take a good fifteen minute nap before the old man turned back around. The rest wasn't so bad at the very least. “What about you? Able to take lunch with me?”  
“Yeah, I should. Have to file last night's reports, then I have class with a new Keykid and then a training session with Kairi and Naminé it seems.”

“Nothing else?”  
“Nope, not that I'm seeing. I'll probably be talking to Mickey when you have your little nap session with Master Yen Sid, though,” Riku said, shooting Roxas a quick little grin before shuffling his paper back into a neat pile and downing the rest of his coffee with a sigh, wiping his bottom lip with his thumb. “We should finish getting ready and head out of here.”

“Yeah.”

Sitting on the bed, Roxas tied up his boots and made sure the straps and buckles were done up neatly before chancing a glance at Riku, watching the man tighten the straps and clasps across his chest before moving to the worst part: his wrist brace.

“Sorry.” The reply came out to mechanically every single morning. It had been an accident all those years ago when Roxas had shattered the bone easily with the sharp end of his keyblade, and while Riku held no grudges, Roxas certainly held the guilt.

“You say this every morning,” Riku drolled on autopilot, adjusting the Velcro and buckles to tighten it before giving his hand a few reflexive, testing flexes and letting his left arm drop, braced snug against his skin. “You know I don't mind it.”  
“But I do,” Roxas said as he dropped his leg from the bed with a pout. “It could have been worse, you know!”  
“And it wasn't. The only pro from this is that it wasn't the right hand.”

Roxas' head dropped. If it had, Riku couldn't have become a Master. He had learned, however, that Riku was somewhat ambidextrous when it came to writing and multitasking, but when it came to fighting, he was off balance when it was just with his left arm. Something that could be fixed in time, presumably, but not something they had time for. Still, he hated the circumstances. If he had just listened--

“Besides, it's my fault. If I hadn't listened to the darkness in my heart, I probably still could have used a Cure on myself. I set the bone wrong. I'm thankful it healed at all.” Another testing flex of his hand and he smiled, ruffling Roxas' unkempt hair before moving on to brush his own and throwing the growing strands into a quick little ponytail. Roxas still frowned, but continued dressing in his own clothes, long coat draped down his back and giving every step a beautiful billow.

Riku reached into the closet and grabbed the pale blue scarf, draping it over Roxas' neck and twisting it over so both ends fell down his back, snugly surrounding the faded Nobody insignia Roxas had had painted down his jacket's long back, split in the center like a coat tail. He glanced up and down at Roxas for a moment before taking his husband's gloved hand and pressing a small kiss to the knuckles.

“Ew,” Roxas said, taking his hand back and getting a soft laugh in response. Riku, himself, looked just as charming, a tight, sleeveless shirt with a high, open-zippered collar, two thick straps crossing in front to make an 'X', his heart with a flour-de-lis holding them together in the middle. He wore faded pants with an extra pair clipped over those, in a similar fabric to his old dark mode suit, making his movements near silent. And below those, combat boots in black and polished metal, tight and intimidating. And, to top it off...

Roxas had to look upwards at him. Where Roxas' replica body hadn't grown much, leaving him at a comfortable five-foot-eight, Riku had grown up and out. Standing at an impressive six-foot-three, the monster of a man he had married was only more impressive as he aged, and while it ticked Roxas off at first to know that his husband took 'growing up' literally, it was also the best thing he could have gotten from the marriage. And that damn ponytail. Roxas tugged at it lightly, getting a confused stare from Riku who just reached to ruffle his hair again and getting his fingers slapped away.

“Stop it.”

“You started it,” Riku pouted, shrugging and reaching for his supply satchel, stuffing the paperwork inside of it and slinging it across his back. “We ready?”  
“Unfortunately,” Roxas said, getting a nod from Riku as they both left the bedroom and locked their house door behind them.

The Castle of Departure was as radiant as always in its basking, bright colors and well-maintained flowers and grass. The courtyard was currently full with a few people but none that either man was ready to see quite yet. Their duties decided, they moved to the armory near the basement, currently occupied by Kairi, and surprisingly, Vanitas. After everything had happened, Sora had found a way to bring the boy back and, somehow, despite the rough start, he fit in just fine with the rest of the ragtag group.

His specialty, surprisingly, was Keyblade maintenance, and something he took pride in. Polishing away dirt and grime, filling in nicks and scratches, and making the Keyblade feel as fresh and clean as the day it was summoned. It wasn't anything he  _knew_ he'd be good at, but after being punished one day and set to Keyblade duty, he came back some twenty minutes later with every keyblade cleaned and maintained, keychains oiled and rust removed. 

“What, like this was supposed to be hard work?” he scoffed, and since then, he could be found in the basement, lightly polishing old keys and trying to bring them back to their former glory. Perhaps it was because he spent so much time in the Keyblade Graveyard he couldn't bear to see keys—once thrumming with life and potential—buried and forgotten beneath sand and rust.

“Good morning,” Riku said, coming into the workshop and putting his bag down before looking over the racks and running fingers down the tools.

“For who?” Vanitas snapped, already cheerful as ever. From the dim lights of the furnaces and candles, Riku could see the usual bags under the man's eyes, illuminating the gash across the right side of his top and bottom lip and his eyebrow, giving it a notch. Vanitas wore scars well. Riku's eyes glanced over the chin guard currently on the table, then back to Vanitas, whose arms were crossed. Despite wearing Xehanort's old clothes, Riku couldn't help but feel Ansem flashbacks when he looked at them though they didn't hurt as much as they used to, a dull ache in the back of his eyes.

“Everyone but you.” Kairi interjected, currently working on something in the back of the room.

“Why are you down here?” Roxas asked and Kairi feigned a pained look.

“Not happy to see me? Rude.” Roxas just laughed, coming over to look at what she was doing before cocking his head.

“Mushrooms?”

“Glowshrooms. They work best in dark lights for their true magical properties to come through. It's just bright enough in here for me to see what I'm doing but just dark enough that it won't disturb them,” she said, currently mixing the goop with a mortar and pestle and some small pieces of what looked like tree bark beside her elbow.

“You're doing great, Kairi,” Riku said, summoning Braveheart and placing it down on the table just as Vanitas came over to inspect it. Riku generally kept his own keyblade meticulous, but nothing really satisfied Vanitas about proper care unless he inspected it himself. Judging by the soft click of Vanitas' tongue, Riku held back a sigh, awaiting his earful.

“Thanks, Riku,” she said, turning her attention back to her mortar and pestle. “Do you guys need anything made for today? I just restocked most of the shop upstairs if you need anything. Just working on some fresh batches of new things for later.”  
“Like what?” Roxas asked, looking at the goop and grimacing as the smell finally hit him. He muffled his coughs as Kairi laughed, tucking hair behind her ears.

Vanitas grumbled and took the keyblade to the next table and Riku sat on the one that was just seconds ago in use as Kairi went into her new explanation. “Well, it's a potion that when it hits the air, it can basically become a poisonous mist. It'll render Heartless useless and frozen in place, great for ambushes or when you're overrun. But it can also heal you guys up at the same time. Think of it like...a helpful flash grenade.”

“And just who are you testing it on?” Riku asked, making her flinch a little bit.

“Sora...” she said shyly before quickly waving her hands in a panicked sort of motion. “B-But he volunteered! And it's been really helpful! Not like I can't heal up any wounds he might get from it, y'know.”

“Sora would take a boulder to the face if it meant he could help someone,” Roxas murmured, twisting the purple mushroom in his hands. 

Kairi sighed, “Yeah, that's the worst part. But, it has been useful. Finding the right balance between light and dark to make a potion that both hurts and heals. It's going to be a breakthrough if I can pull it off.”

“Well, we have faith in you,” Riku said, watching as Vanitas frantically scrubbed at one of the circular divots in his Keyblade.

“I have faith in you being an idiot,” Vanitas growled quietly. “And what's with the damn ponytail? Just get a haircut if you think your hair's so long, it's ugly and distracting. Makes you look like a  _girl _ and I'm not one to hit a girl.”

“Didn't stop you before,” Roxas said, shooting Vanitas a shit-eating grin that Vanitas answered with a narrow-eyed glare of his own, fetters of darkness emerging from his fingertips before simpering away with a misty fade.

“Riku's the prettiest girl in the room,” Kairi interjected, examining a mushroom under a magnifying glass for imperfections. Roxas snorted. Riku twisted the tip of his ponytail in his hands, giving Vanitas a soft sort of smile that he hoped he could _feel_ and nabbed his Keyblade from Vanitas' grip, getting a hiss-like protest from the black-haired man as he swung it over his shoulder.

“I gotta get to class. See you guys later.” he said, giving a little wave as he snatched his bag and headed up the stairs.

“Your husband is a real asshole,” Vanitas growled, tossing down his oiled rag and crossing his arms again.

“And yours isn't?” Kairi asked, getting another glare from him. “Your face will stay like that you know.”

“Whatever,” he said, “Roxas, get out of here, you're gonna piss me off in about ten seconds if I keep looking at you.”

“Aww,” Roxas said, touching his chest as he walked around the wooden tables, “Do I make you miss Venty-Wenty so much?”

“Get the fuck OUT of my workshop!” he snarled, slapping Roxas on the back and pushing him forward, the blond laughing all the while up the stairs.

Outside in the courtyard, Riku came up next to Aqua and gave her a morning greeting before looking around and then upwards. The weather was warm but comfortably so, a nice, comfortable breeze and very few clouds in the sky. He took a deep breath and smelled the fresh air before sliding his bag down onto the steps and looking at the wooden training dummies.

“Give me one moment,” she said, currently typing on her Gummiphone before pocketing it and looking up at him. “I hate to ask this of you but we're having an issue with one of the Keykids and we thought you'd be the best person to handle this situation.”

“Sure thing. What's wrong?” he asked. Aqua chewed thoughtfully on her lips before shaking her head slowly.

“Well, she was originally supposed to be under Terra's tutelage but there were some complications and he had to take the day off.”

Riku frowned. That wasn't like Terra at all. He had even come to train students once with the flu, despite Aqua's protests that he'd get everyone else sick. Still, despite having to pause to vomit a few times in the bushes, Terra treated the class as if nothing was ailing him despite looking and sounding awful. So what was so bad about this one kid?

“Let me go get her,” Aqua said, returning a moment later with a small female student, currently clutching her keyblade to her chest and looking down at the ground as she shuffled closer, spurred on by Aqua's hand steering her shoulder.

“Aya, this is Master Riku, he's going to be your teacher for today.”

Aya said nothing but gave the proper bow of a greeting, head still lowered. Aqua frowned and caught Riku's eye before he gave her a nod and then aimed his head towards the door. She understood and headed towards the main doors, giving a final look backwards and heading inside with some reluctance. Riku knelt down to the ground and looked down at Aya.

She was small, presumably around seven years old. Ashen blond hair in two side braids that fell to either side of her neck and down her chest. She wore a simple training uniform: a pink short-sleeved shirt and tan slacks, her sweatshirt wrapped around her waist, and two sad, brown eyes. She was trembling and on the verge of tears.

“Aya?” he asked, getting her to look up, and he answered it with a soft smile. “There you are, good morning. Can you tell me what's wrong?” he asked. She hesitated but nodded, sniffling and wiping her eyes before looking to her right.

“I'm afraid of those,” she said, pointing. Off to the side on the training dummies were pictures of Heartless—Shadows, to be exact. Their antlike bodies and round, yellow eyes staring blankly ahead. It made sense; even fighting for all these years, Heartless still had a decent creep factor. For a young girl who could barely hold a keyblade, seeing a picture of their adversary-to-be was scary.

“Is that all?” he asked delicately and she stiffened before shaking her head.

“No. Koji said that if I was afraid of the dark that I couldn't be a Keyblade wielder. He found out that I asked Master Aqua if I could use a nightlight in the castle and ever since then he's picked on me. I want to be a Keyblade wielder, I do—it chose me, but...”

“But you're afraid of the dark.” Riku echoed. Terra still had a sort of timid relationship when it came to the darkness. After spending ten years possessed and transformed, it made sense. Someone like he who utilized the darkness at one point as a sort of protection, a strength, now afraid of the power it had. While Terra never quite came to terms with it, Riku had, and in that newfound strength he also discovered that the darkness was fickle yet obedient under the right touch. A student afraid of the dark—afraid of Heartless—would naturally make Terra relive the worst of it. And Riku...well. “I see.”

Standing up to his full height, he walked over to the training dummy and placed a hand on the Heartless' 'head', making Aya stare. “Even us Masters are afraid of the darkness, afraid of Heartless. There's nothing wrong with that. The dark and the light can both be equally scary. But don't despair,” he said, giving her a small smile as his hand fell. “You won't be alone. You'll have friends to back you up and protect you, just as they'll give you a reason to fight. And, besides, the darkness isn't all bad.” he said.

He came close to her and crouched back down again, aiming his right hand horizontally forward and opening his clenched fingers, channeling the darkness. From the ground, in an eruption of purple and black, a Shadow formed and stood there, twitching and cocking its head. Aya gave a shriek and Riku looked from her to it and then back to her with a small nod.

“It's okay, it's not a real one. Can you do something for me?” he asked. “Can you go over there and bop it on the head for me? Call it the worst name you can think of.”

Aya paused and then laughed weakly, but she did as asked, going over to the Heartless on trembling feet and brandishing her keyblade in shaking hands and swung hard, shouting 'Stupid idiot face!” as loud as she could, watching as the Heartless was cleaved in half and turning into a thick, black mist.

“Good!” Riku said, standing up. “See? How did that feel?”

“Scary,” she admitted, clutching her keyblade to her chest. “But...it didn't hurt me. I hurt it first.”

“Good,” he repeated, “That means that you just protected me. You just protected a Keyblade Master, that means you're powerful. Can you do it again?” Aya nodded, steeling her face and holding her keyblade with a bit more confidence. Riku summoned another shadow that formed, this time in the form of something small and humanoid, and this time Aya hesitated. Looking back at her was...her. Keyblade and all, purple-black and twitching.

“Can you fight this one, too? Can you call it a bad name?”

“I-I--”

“This is your fear of the darkness,” Riku said, looking towards the shadowy girl standing only a few feet away. “Can you face your own fears?” he asked. Aya hesitated, looking at 'herself' and starting to shake.  _Too much, maybe,_ Riku thought, aiming to dissipate the shadow before Aya lunged forward with a shout and cleaved through the clone. It faded slowly and she panted heavily, dropping her keyblade to the floor before falling to her knees and breaking into sobs.

Riku came close instantly, crouching beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder letting her cry. Maybe that was overdoing it. However, despite the young girl's fear, she struck through it with little to no hesitation, something they hadn't done for the other students yet. She definitely showed promise. “You did so well, Aya, you did so well.” he told her, and he meant it. At this young age, she was already preparing herself for a world she knew she'd be afraid of but still wanting to prove herself. She rubbed frantically at tearful eyes and just buried her face deeper into her hands. Aqua was gonna wring his neck.

“Do you know what you just did?” he asked her, voice a little higher than her sobs. “You just destroyed your fear of the darkness. You won't be afraid of it anymore.” he said softly. The sobs stopped, her voice hiccuping and eyes swollen and red from crying. She stared at him, shoulders and arms shaking before looking back to where her shadow form once stood.

“Are you sure?” she asked with a meek voice. He gave her a deep nod and looked to where she was as well. Aya frowned and then looked towards him again. “Is....is this how you overcame your fears of the darkness too?”

At that, Riku took a sharp breath and held it. He wasn't about to tell a young girl no, that he had lost himself to it and resolved to never let it overtake him again. That he still woke up with his dream eater sigil burning, gasping and choking on breaths that wouldn't come, feeling his body being taken over again and unmoving, the puppet master leaving his strings lax while his limbs moved without his consent. He shuddered at the thoughts and shut his eyes to calm his racing heart.

“The darkness is scary but it's also important. Without darkness, we wouldn't have the night time skies, or the moon and stars, or a reason to have keyblades. We fight to preserve the  _balance _ of light and dark. Too much dark and the world becomes engulfed, but too much light, and the world becomes too bright. Both outcomes aren't good. Do you understand?” he asked. She gave a little nod.

“But...if we're fighting to preserve the balance, how come we're only getting rid of the darkness?”

That was certainly a tall order of a question. Not something that even he, himself, knew half the time. Mostly, they were fighting off the Heartless that grew in surplus, protecting the world from being overrun with ravenous, heart-hungry beasts. However, it wasn't like they had to fight anything that was 'light', either.

“Well, because the darkness is a little bit stronger than the light right now, but that doesn't mean we haven't fought the light, either. You need to stay on your toes at all times and listen to your heart, it'll never lead you astray. It decided you were worthy of a keyblade, didn't it?” he asked. His eyes roved over the Keyblade, nothing particularly fancy. A simple bronze blade that ended in intricate curls and whorls, sharpened at the edges and tipped with a purple gradient. The hilt was also nothing special, just a simple black leather wrapping and silver chain. In time, as Aya grew, so too would her Keyblade. He looked forward to that day.

Riku glanced up at the large castle and shielded his eyes from the sun, squinting at the clock and reading the time.

“You still have another twenty minutes of class. Would you like to keep practicing? I'd really like to see how your swings are coming along. Come on, show me your stance.” he said, standing back up and placing his hands on his hips. Aya finished sniffling and wiped her face before reaching back for her Keyblade and brandishing it in a sloppy sort of pose.

“Arms up, like this--” Braveheart emerged from his will in a shower of white light, the heft of it dropping his arm only slightly. Nothing beat this feeling. The glint of light down the hilt, the way the black Mickey head dangled to and fro in a macabre sort of dance from the hilt before the Heartless were slain by the blade, impressive and demanding respect in its silver opulence.

Riku took a stance much different than his comfortable one, something simple for the Keykids to learn from. Aya quickly mirrored it, looked down at her feet, and replaced them into proper position, getting a soft chuckle from Riku.

“Good, stance is important! Now, on my lead. One, two, three, one, two three.” and they swung in tune, Riku's polished and perfected, Aya's novice and wide, yet she did exactly as instructed. She definitely learned the steps, it was just malpractice that was harming her but she'd get it in time. All she needed was confidence.

“Sidestep, dodge!” Aya leaped to the right and rolled on her shoulder, scrambling to get to all fours and then two legs. “Sidestep, dodge!” Another roll to the left this time, a little less sloppy than the first attempt. Off balance with a weapon was making her struggle, she didn't quite know how to hold herself.

“Perfect, Aya. For rolls, you're going to want to do this,” he said, tightening his ponytail briefly with Braveheart held upright by a firm press of his knee. Glancing up, he caught a pair of blue eyes and a smile and returned it quickly, grabbing his Keyblade and stepping to the right before rolling in one fluid motion. He held his Keyblade arm outright, having it roll with him rather than entangling him.

Roxas found his way to the steps, on his way to or from his own spar presumably. He always made sure to 'accidentally' take the wrong path so he'd appear in the courtyard and just so happen to keep an eye on his husband's training practices, you know: to make sure he was doing them properly. But where Riku's class was usually full, seeing a lone student usually meant one-on-one training. Unusual, but not uncommon. Roxas took in the whole scene as Aya tried to roll again, a little less clumsy but accidentally launching her blade across the ground.

It skid towards Roxas who caught it with the tip of his boot, and picking it up, he glanced along the weapon before returning it to a shy Aya, who simply smiled and bowed deeply, a muffled 'Master Roxas' on her breath. Roxas raised his palm.

“Please, I'm not teaching class, just Roxas is fine. Eleven A.M and he's already got you doing combat exercises?” Riku shot Roxas a sympathetic look but the blond just grinned back, turning his attention to Aya. “You're gonna do great, Master Riku here is one of the best teachers we have, you'll learn a lot. Don't mind me, I'm just gonna observe over by the steps before lunch starts.”

Riku watched Roxas wave at Aya and move to the stairs before he turned his attention back to Aya. “He's just being polite, Master Aqua is the best teacher, but she's busy right now. So, back to what we were doing. Fireball, middle target.” he said, watching as Aya nodded and aimed her Keyblade, fire erupting from the tip and launching towards the Heartless paper-faced target dummy.

Lunch came and everyone grabbed their meals, prepared by the plates and bowls the King had lent them, filling with food at a single touch of whatever they preferred. Sitting at the back of the cafeteria, Riku was currently wagging his fork up and down in the air, his other hand writing on some papers he had still needed to fill out. Roxas was currently chatting with Xion beside him and Naminé across from her, on Riku's right.

“--but you didn't have to swing _that _hard you know, we can't all block two blades,” Xion grumped into her slice of apple pie. Naminé was twirling her straw in her drink and focusing on a spell tome on the table, nodding lightly in Xion's direction. Roxas rolled his eyes and flicked Xion in the shoulder.

“Well, maybe if _someone _would use a spell other than fucking Blizzaga for once, we wouldn't have this situation. Do you know how hard it is to swing through ice?”

“You wouldn't have to if you were smart and used Firaga.”

“Yeah, well, _some _of us can't fucking _use _magic, you know. I'm doing what I can, it's bad enough a simple Cure takes it all out of me.”

“Have you considered training with Lea? He could probably get your Fire spells started, that's how I learned how to Blizzard, from Sora.” Naminé interjected, looking up briefly before turning her attention back to her book and flipping a page delicately. Her pinky even stuck up. Adorable. Roxas frowned and rolled his eyes.

“I'm not asking Lea to teach me fire,” Roxas grumbled into his lasagna. “Besides, I don't need magic. I do just fine on brute strength.”

“Until an enemy has an elemental advantage you can exploit,” Riku chimed in, salad finished and bread crusts sitting on his plate. “Then you can't just hack and slash in there like you usually do, you'll just end up draining yourself.”

“Says the asshole that explicitly uses magic,” Roxas said with a narrow-eyed glare. “And anyways, with the Nobodies listening to the remaining former Organization members, and Vanitas on our side, all we have to deal with is the Heartless. Plus, we all work in teams, so if anybody can use spells better than me, that's fine: I'll hack n' slash, and they can weaken them with their fancy magic.”

“Roxas that's not--”” Riku sighed, finally looking up from his paperwork and aiming his fork at Roxas. “You can't just always expect someone to have magic at the ready. What if they run out of MP curing you or casting those 'fancy spells'? Then you're both in trouble.”

“No, because I'd bring elixirs.”

Another sigh. “What if you run out?”

“Then, I bring hi-elixirs.” Roxas was positively beaming, now, and seeing Riku's eyebrow practically twitch in anger was oh so worth it. They could do this all day but as usual, Riku backed down with a click of his tongue and attention turned back to his duties. Roxas would do whatever it took to win, including being childish if it came down to it. Xion hid a laugh behind her hand but shook her head anyways.

“You're hopeless, you know.”

“Maybe. But if that's the case then how come you're MY battle buddy?” Roxas flashed another grin. Riku opened and shut his mouth twice before sighing and shuffling papers into a neat pile.

“Because we're advised to go on missions in a pair or a group and because everybody else has been paired up, you're stuck with me. I chose the defense role because I know how much you prefer to be on the field as opposed to doing paperwork which--” he pointed at the stack and it was only upon closer inspection that Roxas recognized his own handwriting, “--is why I'm doing this right now, on my break. A Hi-elixir might cure your MP but it won't cure my trying patience with you.”

“Maybe I should try harder.” Roxas challenged, getting another snicker from Xion just as the lunch bell rang and alerted them of the time of day. Riku waited for the bells to stop chiming before smiling, challenge met, hands to his hips and papers tucked underneath his arm.

“Fine then, go for it. But as punishment, I'm signing you up for magic lessons with Merlin and don't think you can get out of them. I expect some magic out of you one of these days.”

“The magic I have is putting up with your high and mighty attitude, 'Master' Riku.”

Riku narrowed his eyes before rolling them generously, ducking down to press a kiss to the top of Roxas' head. “Tonight, your ass is sleeping outside. I hope you enjoy sand fleas.” With that, he gave the two girls a wave and headed out the door, leaving a beaming, blushing Riku behind.

“Hey Xion, can you teach me Blizzaga? I wanna make his shower in the morning eventful.”

“Roxas, you're such a prick,” she said with a laugh before sidling close, “I could just teach you Water magic instead, bring the shower to him.”

“You fucking she-devil, I love the way you think.” Xion nudged his hip and they made their way outside.

Around three hours later, Roxas was back outside in the courtyard and sitting on the stairs to the castle, looking up towards the sky. Yen Sid was as dull as usual but he knew it was par for the course and sitting along the warm steps was relaxing. He loved being a Keyblade Master. He loved the freedom that it brought and the challenges he got to face but he'd be lying if he said it was always entertaining. It had its perks, sure, but if he had to sit in another lecture, he'd probably bust through a window and run away.

Jolting suddenly, he felt around his pants pocket and fished out his Gummiphone, glancing at the screen. A text message from Riku saying 'We got a mission'. Huh. Pocketing the phone, Roxas headed towards the Gummiship hangars and already caught Riku on the landing steps, putting a bag inside the cockpit and stuffing it away somewhere. If he'd already made sure to stock on supplies then he presumably got the message a little bit ago.

“What's up?” Roxas called out, jogging to the ship. Riku turned his head enough to yell back “Someone called in for help so we're heading out since the others are busy.” Roxas climbed up the steps and clambered into the ship, taking the passenger seat and looking around at all the square buttons littering the dashboard before Riku climbed inside and shut the glass dome, locking it and buckling himself in before poking buttons.

“Where to?” Roxas asked. Riku just hummed, finishing adding in the coordinates before starting the ship.

“A little town on the outskirts of Agrabah, they recently became a little infested with Heartless and are getting overrun so we're going to go do some clean up.”

“That's it?” Roxas asked, slumping down into his seat and tipping his head a little bit. Why send two Masters for something as simple as a Heartless cleanup? He resigned to chewing on his thumbnail before Riku reached over and gently swatted his hand away with a sympathetic look. A good attempt in stopping his husband''s habit but not good enough. Within minutes, Roxas would be back to chewing on his blunt nail.

“That's it,” Riku said, feeling the ship roaring to life beneath them with a low rumble that lessened the higher the ship got, eventually petering out into a light shake when they were finally into the stratosphere. “As far as I can tell, it's as if a whole bunch of slumbering Heartless have awoken, the place is practically crawling with them. According to the reports that came in, you can barely walk an inch without getting nibbled on or attacked, so we're going to do some cleanup and send back a damage report. If need be, we'll send more wielders here for repairs and assistance.”

“Hm.” Roxas glanced out the window, letting his imagination take over and imaging himself leaping and running and skating off the top of the meteors and Heartless ships they happened to encounter. It was a relatively quick trip, a good half hour with a warp drive, so in the meantime he was resolute to simply fading out of existence while Riku drove. It worked fine for Riku; Roxas could just barely make out the thin white cords of earbuds as he drove. Keeping him awake and on his toes despite the calm lull of space and the light squeeze of pressure from the gravity of space, lessened by the ship but still noticeable the longer they flew.

It didn't take long to arrive, though, and stepping from the ship and into the desert, Roxas immediately breathed out a sigh as the heat overtook his breathing. He fumbled into his back pocket for a mask, enough to filter out the sand but his own hot breath angering him more than the sun could. Riku was already fumbling with his, keyblade in hand as he hid the ship from view and locked it all in one, slipping the mask over his mouth and giving Roxas a little squint through a nod. Roxas nodded back, feeling a massive gust of wind around him as Aero was cast, whipping the sand from his body and keeping things breathable. Riku cast his own and they made their way through the empty bazaar and further into the town, looking for the infestation.

The bazaar was in ruins. Putting it lightly, anyways. Smashed stalls and chunks of wood were thrown everywhere. Tatters of cloth hung from the remains of said stalls or hung limply from curtains or flags along the brick buildings. Massive shards of pottery were thrown about in various rainbow-like colors, squashed and trampled food followed, the smell pungent from the desert heat baking it. Roxas frowned, glancing around at the empty stalls still standing and scoffed, kicking at the wood a little.

“Typical,” he said, voice muffled by the mask, “They had the smarts to take their money, at least.” It wasn't as if he was going to take it, but just knowing that they took their money before fleeing the scene somehow sat funnily in his stomach.

“Self preservation.” Riku shot back, currently checking a pot for any clues and returning with what looked like just a handful of water. Shaking his fingers off, he turned his head and looked towards the exit, the faint greens and browns of the palm trees of the oasis and a promise of another town right there. Roxas gave him a nod and they set foot into the desert once more, turning on their Aeros and shielding their eyes from the sun.

The second town—much smaller than the first—was in a still-shambled state, and it didn't take them long to discover where the Heartless went. A black swarm filtered around the town and inside of it, climbing the walls and toppling off of flagpoles, burrowing into the sand only to reemerge seconds later a little farther away. They did their best to run across the sand and made their way quickly, stepping into the town''s center, Keyblades swinging immediately.

“Are you the Masters?” someone shouted, hiding underneath what looked like a stall with a woman and child behind him. Riku slipped down his face mask and nodded.

“Yeah,” he called back, swinging at a pouncing Shadow as it faded. “I'm Master Riku and this is my bodyguard, Master Roxas.”

The man under the stall looked at Roxas and then Riku, confusion painfully etched into his features. Roxas snorted, the charm not lost on him: when Roxas gained his own body, the replica body hadn't grown much. It always took people by surprise to find out that Roxas was, in fact, Riku's bodyguard and not the other way around. His height may not have changed much but his ego certainly rose.

“Can you tell us what happened?” Roxas asked as Riku stepped into the center of the town and started doing both recon and extermination, only a wisp of blackness and a pink heart rising into the sky evidence he was clearing anything out at all. The wriggling swarm of Heartless occupied with the keybladed-threat, Roxas was able to get info. The man just shrugged, poking his head out a little further from underneath the stall.

“I don't know,” he said, wiping his bro and positioning himself back on all fours, “We were having a celebration and next thing we knew, there was a whole swarm of these creatures, so we called for help.”

“Makes sense.” Roxas quickly wrote it down in Riku's book, his handwriting almost double the size of Riku's and twice as erratic, before tapping the pen to his lips. More hearts rose in the sky, the swarm tightening in the center. “How long has the swarm been here?”

“Uhm. I-I don't know, not long.” the man stated, more pen scratching, a far-off grunt from a keyblade swing. Considering the sun was at the highest peak, it was only making the shadows taller, so more than likely an hour or so of the swarm before it grew too numerous. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Hm?” The main pointed and Roxas followed his gaze towards Riku, whose head was now visible poking up from the swarm, landing back down into the mass with a loud clatter of metal to concrete. “Oh yeah, he'll be fine, this is nothing. These are just little Heartless, their only strength is their numbers, they don't really hurt or anything unless you get overwhelmed. Master Riku won't be overtaken so easily by a bunch of these. Now, about the festival--”

A sudden surge of pressure had the floor quivering and Roxas dropped the pen out of his hand and watched it roll along the cement. A large dome erupted from the center of the plaza and with it, the shadows suddenly disappeared into the ground; rather, they grew flat, crushed by gravity and unmoving.

“You want in?!” Riku shouted from afar, wiping his brow. Roxas looked at the mess of Heartless—frozen—and then towards the man whose mouth was agape.

“There's no way you're already tired!” Roxas shouted back, to which Riku just shrugged, keyblade still aimed at the ground and spell locked tight in place.

“A little. There's only half left, I figured you'd want some fun!”

“Release the spell, then, I'm not fighting if they're handicapped!”

Riku looked down at the squashed Heartless, antennae wiggling, and shrugged, dropping the spell and narrowly avoiding a dogpile, watching as Roxas came jogging up. Roxas slapped his shoulder and gave him a lopsided grin, opening his palms and feeling the familiar weight of keyblades forming. Like thousands of times before, a blade of each black and white formed in his hands, and as the glitter of light faded away and gave them physical forms, he took a second to admire them.

Shiny, immaculate, weapons he had used for so long now it was almost as easy as breathing. The way not even the brightest of lights could reflect off of Oblivion—as black as night, but the way the light only made Oathkeeper all the brighter, putting the sun to shame. Riku could have handled the swarm easily but it was obvious he was letting Roxas have some fun. The blond just beamed, spinning them idly in his hands before swinging at the closest one.

Riku took a seat on some rubble and turned back to the family under the stall, brushing some hair from his face. “Apologies for the mess, we'll finish exterminating and then get a cleanup crew to help with the destruction. Do you have any other questions or concerns?” he asked, bending to pick up the pen and wiping it off. The man simply blinked up at him with wide eyes and, taking the silence as a no, Riku simply nodded and went to writing as Roxas cleared out the waves in broad swings and rapid strikes.

In time, the wave was cleared out and the plaza, though in ruins, was empty of Heartless. A few escaped, but it was nothing to cause concern for, and seeing it as a job well done, they slipped back on their masks and told the family to call again if they needed any help.

The trek to the Gummiship wasn't as bad on the return with the winds relatively calmer with the dropping sun, but it was enough for them to warrant the masks to filter the sand with the cooling desert. The flight home was even less eventful with Roxas nodding off in the passenger seat and only waking once the ship rumbled down to touch the ground. Roxas grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder just as the hatch lifted and, heading to the exit, he took Riku's extended hand and walked down the strip with him. The ship closed up and faded from sight once they reached solid ground and a quick keyblade spell was used and, sighing, Roxas and Riku headed towards their little house.

His energy only returned once he started hopping up the little wooden stairs and slid open the glass door to instantly smell their home. Warm, fresh, slightly cinnamon-y and all kinds of scents that just screamed 'home'. He inhaled deep and dropped his bag down, moving through the kitchen to flop **hard** on their couch with a drawn-out sigh. Riku just chuckled, set down his own bag and grabbed some books from within, moving to take off Roxas' shoes before undoing his own boots back at the door.

“This is why we have sand everywhere,” Riku reprimanded, getting a soft laugh from Roxas.

“Then stop walking in here with your damn sandy boots,” he shot back with a smirk, taking a throw pillow to the face before Riku plopped down next to him and launched him up a little with a hearty bounce. Roxas adjusted his body so his head was on Riku's lap and laid back down on his back, legs crossed over the armrest. Riku got to work on the paperwork and Roxas grabbed the remote, fumbling through the channels until he found a cooking channel, eyes glued.

“I want that,” he murmured a few minutes later and Riku looked up, watching as someone spooned a garlic-and-cream sauce over chicken thighs. Riku blinked once, twice, and then turned slowly back to his paperwork.

“Tonight?” he asked. Roxas heard the fatigue in his voice and instantly felt like he had demanded too much from his husband.

“No, not tonight. Our next day off.”

“I can do that, just memorize the recipe, okay?” he said, “We'll make it on a day where my legs don't feel like falling off.”

Roxas laughed, watching the lady mixing something in a bowl before turning his eyes back up to his husband. “Well, definitely keep those. I'm pretty sure a keyblade master needs to be mobile.”

“It's a lifehack. No legs, no responsibilities.”

“Yeah, but then you'd have more paperwork.”

Riku tapped at the notebook in front of him and pouted. “Yeah, well, I got my fair share of that already, if nothing else, I could be really speedy at it if it's all I did.”

“But then I'd miss your big dumb keyblade.” Roxas said, rolling his leg a little and getting a laugh from the taller male.

“Says the guy with TWO big dumb keyblades. Do you really need to spin them around every time you summon them? I think people want to feel safe, not be hypnotized.” Riku said, leaning uncomfortably forward to press a soft kiss to Roxas' forehead, who instantly recoiled with an 'ew' and then wiped it off, getting a smirk from the silverette.

“Do you always gotta cast those fancy spells? Blizzard magic takes forever to melt and it just makes the cleaning up that much harder.”

“I could always cast 'stop' and get you to quit running your mouth.”

“And I could break your other wrist and we'd be even.”

“Oh no, my ambidextrousness is weeping,” Riku said, and to prove his point, reached over with his right hand to ruffle Roxas' hair and started writing with the left. Roxas rolled over onto his belly to bite Riku's thigh, making him yelp and flick the blond in response.

“I hate you,” Roxas glared, getting a soft laugh from Riku who swapped the pen back to his dominant hand.

“I hate you too, Starlight. Let me finish this report and I can start dinner, alright?”

“Nah, I think we got leftovers,” Roxas said, rolling off the couch and landing on all fours before getting up and jogging to the fridge to explore around. He used to make fun of Riku for cooking meals for a week and then putting them in the fridge but now it was a life saver. Sometimes, they could barely move after work and a quick microwave spin did them wonders. He looked at all the labels before finding one they'd both enjoy and popped it in the microwave, scouting out clean plates, forks, and cups and returning with a glass of water for them both.

Riku thanked him and continued writing and Roxas sat on the armrest and watched TV until the microwave dinged and, getting up, he quickly made them plates of food and returned, grabbing the two dinner trays and propping them open for them each, another thank you from Riku who set aside his papers and began to eat, Roxas following suit.

“She's doing that wrong,” Riku murmured, digging into his salmon and poking his fork at the TV. “She's gonna dry it out if she keeps that up.”

“Are you really bitching about a cooking show...while eating dinner?”

“Yep,” Riku said, shaking his head and swallowing a bite, “I'm not going to stand for this slander in front of my meal.” Despite that statement, he took another bite. Roxas just snorted into his own rice and shook his fluffy head.

“She's doing it on purpose, she can hear you.”

“I bet she is and I'm going to write a strongly-worded letter based on this three-year rerun of an episode.”

Roxas laughed again and rubbed his temple against Riku's shoulder once before returning to dinner. They ate mostly in silence after this, and once dishes were done and they both showered, they both made ready for bed. Brushed teeth and hair and a selection of tanktops and sweatpants were tonight's option and once dressed, both men made for the bed where they slipped beneath the covers.

Riku slid his phone on the charger and set an alarm, and Roxas quickly finished a level of a game he was playing on his own before following suit.

“How did it go with Aya today?” Roxas asked. Riku rolled over and propped his head up on his hand, sighing and rubbing a little at the bridge of his nose.

“She did alright. There's a little bit of a deep-seated fear of the dark in her, but I think she'll overcome it in time. I'll probably have to be her teacher for a while, Terra's not quite in the mindset to train someone like that despite having the capability.” he said, adjusting his hips a little and snuggling a bit further under the thick covers. “But, she has promise. She's learned not to hesitate and I think that some confidence building will do her good.”

Roxas stared at Riku in the dark with adjusting eyes and just smiled softly. Riku was good at that, at knowing just what to say, and it wasn't too far-fetched to consider Aqua chose him for that specific reason as opposed to anybody else. Vanitas was harsh for a trainer, but his knowledge of the dark was limitless and welcomed. Sora was too sympathetic, and Terra, of course, had trauma. Roxas was another candidate for training but he supposed his two keyblades left him at a disadvantage when it came to training: he doubted any kid could dual-wield and Roxas' circumstances were special.

If none of those mattered, then even still, Riku was a good candidate. He was a critical thinker, calm, and patient to boot. Roxas' grin grew wider and he smiled, thinking about it. He had seen Riku train with the keykids and adults alike and there was no sight grater than watching those gears grinding in Riku's head before he made a decision. It was a 'blink and miss it' type situation and Roxas never blinked these days.

“What?”

The question snapped him from his thought and he stared back into night-stricken pale green eyes. How long had he been dissociating?

“Nothing, I just love you,” Roxas responded, now moving to rest his own head on his hands. “Every time you talk about work or helping people you just glow. I bet you don't even realize, do you?” he asked.

“I...I do like my job, and I do like helping people. Isn't this the point of being a Master? Why bother going around to other worlds like we did as kids if we can't make a difference? We got all this power to change the world and we're going to change it for the better, I can promise you that. Heartless will exist as long as there's hearts, but maybe if we can make things a lot less stressful and a lot more peaceful? I don't want to live in a world where magic and keyblades aren't needed, but I'd like to imagine a place where people won't be afraid of the dark anymore.”  
“Riku...” Roxas frowned. Was that what this was about? Did Riku feel guilty for being a mix of light and dark while the other guardians were more 'pure'? Did he still feel ashamed for being the way he was, able to manipulate dark easier than he could light?

“Dark doesn't always mean evil,” Riku mumbled, “It's just getting harder for people to see that. That's all.” Roxas frowned. So it did still bug him...

“Then, that's the world we'll fight for. A world where there''s no reason to be afraid of the dark. If that's what it'll take—even if it's a world without keyblades—then....we should try.”

“But, Roxas--”

“Ah ah, no buts! Without the night, there'd be no day, and without the moon, there''d be no sun. We need dark just as much as we need light, so, let's start going around as emissaries and let the world know that it's ok for the darkness to exist.”

“I don't know if Masters can be emissaries, Roxas. Besides, do you really want to give up your job of fighting to just spread the word about something like this? Our actions can speak just as loudly over time.”

“I'm sure,” Roxas said, suddenly scooting closer to rest his head on Riku's shoulder, who moved to lay on his back and make it comfortable for them both. Instantly, Riku's fingers carded through soft blond spikes and Roxas melted in his touch. One of Roxas' fingers reached up to lightly poke at one of Riku's green nipple piercings idly.

“Every night with you,” Riku chuckled and Roxas just grumbled.

“'S fun,” he said, poking a little harder. “I _am _fine with it, though. After all, we both use light and dark. Is it so strange that I wanna help you?”

A hum. “Yeah.”

“Asshole,” Roxas pulled at the nipple and got another yelp from Riku who rolled sharply and gathered Roxas' wrists to hold them at his side, caging the blond beneath him with thighs and body simultaneously. Roxas just smirked up at him pressing a kiss to Riku's sternum and flopping back to the mattress. “To think this was once intimidating to me.” Roxas' nuzzled softly into one of Riku's arms and then turned to look back up at him.

“Is it not anymore?” Riku asked and clicked his tongue, pressing a kiss to the side of Roxas' neck. “I'll just try harder next time. How's that?”

“Un-fucking-likely,” Roxas said, folding his body in half to lift his hips up and wrap his legs around Riku's back, firmly digging his heels into the solid muscle at the lower back and getting a soft hiss in response.

“Now that's just _mean_,” Riku said, instantly turning the kiss into something a bit more toothy along the soft skin of Roxas' neck.

“I-If you leave a mark you're sleeping outside!”

“_A_ mark?” Riku blinked down at him and then his smile turned devious. “So if I leave _many _marks, I get to stay in here? Excellent,” he said, another nip at the soft throat, getting a squeak and a laugh from Roxas who positively squirmed and began to thrash.

“Stop it, stop it!” he said, managing to loosen one wrist and reach under his head for his pillow.

“Stop or what?” Riku asked, a ginger scrape of teeth at the juncture of throat and shoulder, feeling the goosebumps erupt beneath his lips. Roxas just pouted and, with narrowed eyes, brought his hand down lower to grab at the hem of Riku's sweatpants, who instantly froze up.

“You fell asleep in the ship but you got energy for this? Typical,” he teased, this time placing a tender kiss against Roxas' Adam's apple. “I think it's about time you--”

Roxas jolted suddenly as something loud went off in his ear and making eye contact with Riku, both boys froze before Riku reached over and laid across Roxas, grabbing his Gummiphone.

“Hello? N-No I wasn't busy, Your Majesty, what's--?”

Roxas couldn't hear any words but made it the constantly fluctuating levels of the King's speech patterns. He was talking quickly. Riku moved off of Roxas to sit cross-legged on the bed with a furrowed bro, eyes moving a little this way and that as they took in the information in the dark room. If the King was calling, it was urgent.

“I understand. Do you need me to, um, leave now?” A pit formed in Roxas' stomach at the words. Something terrible must have happened and he didn't like the feeling that it brought. Riku must have sensed it because he reached to his side blindly and grabbed Roxas' hand, giving it a tiny squeeze and continuing his conversation of mostly 'mhms' and 'I sees'.

“Okay. Alright. I....yes, I understand. I'll be there first thing in the morning. Yes. Of course. Have a good night, Your Majesty.” He hung up the Gummiphone and sat there staring at its black screen until a shaky exhale escaped his body.

“What?” Roxas asked, sitting up not to try and gauge Riku's expression. “Riku, what?”

“It's the King,” he said, frowning and brushing his bangs from his forehead, letting them fall back down with a slow fluff. “He found something concerning in the Realm of Darkness so we're heading there tomorrow morning, first thing.”

“But--”

“I know. But we both still have our coats and we'll be well-stocked. He thinks it should take about a day in there, a week out here. We're going to go in and hunt around to gather some data and then be out. He didn't want to ask me but it's not wise to go there alone.” He turned his body and leaned forward to press a butterfly-light kiss to Roxas' lips. “I'll be back before you know it, because after that, I'm requesting some time off so I can cook that chicken and we can finally get a vacation.”

“You're lying,” Roxas said, but Riku shook his head.

“We're both workaholics, so we should probably take a breather anyways. it''s not healthy to be running at a hundred percent all the time, anyways. And maybe—just maybe—I'll consider buying you that new game console you've been eyeing.”

At that, Roxas jumped up and practically bashed Riku in the mouth. “You mean it?!”

“I do. We got the Munny for it stashed away, and you'd have a whole week to unwind and play. In exchange for me being called in to work for an emergency, I'll spoil you so you forget all about it. Deal?”

“Deal.” Roxas pressed his lips to Riku's and grinned. “We should get to bed. We can pick up on this a week from now, _if _I haven't gotten bored of all the new games I'm gonna sucker you into buying.”

Riku just laughed but rolled his eyes and brought Roxas back down to the mattress with a kiss.


End file.
